We can begin by deeply apologizing to all those who have been unfairly treated in connection with the Norwegianization policy and what previous parliaments have done, says Svein Harberg (Høyre) during Tuesday's review of a report on the state's treatment of Sami, Kvens, and Forest Finns.
The apology in parliament is described as historic – never before has the government in Oslo issued a public apology for the assimilation policy, so-called "Norwegianization policy", that has been pursued against the minorities.
The 700-page long report from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was released during last summer. The conclusion was that the government's policy has sown deep wounds in large parts of the population. Language and culture have almost completely disappeared as a result of assimilation, it was established.
